STATEN ISLAND, N.Y., Sept. 12 — Wagner College was identified in U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges 2013” as the only college or university in New York State with 3 or more “programs to look for,” and 1 of only 3 such schools in the tri-state area (the others were Yale and Princeton) — possibly a factor in Wagner’s appearance for the fourth year in a row on the U.S. News regional universities list of “Up-and-Comers,” and its #26 position in the overall northern regional universities rankings. The magazine’s annual college guide was released yesterday morning.
Wagner College was recognized on three U.S. News lists of “programs to look for”: First-Year Experience, Learning Communities and Service Learning.

“These three program areas are fundamental components of our signature curriculum, the Wagner Plan for the Practical Liberal Arts,” said Wagner College President Richard Guarasci. “Since 1998, the Wagner Plan has combined a very strong first-year program with multiple service-learning experiences and three learning communities placed at the beginning, middle and end of the Wagner student’s undergraduate career.”

“Wagner College’s three ‘programs to look for’ are what the American Association of Colleges & Universities terms ‘high impact practices’ — those academic components that significantly contribute to a high-quality education,” added Lily McNair, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Wagner College. “In essence, the Wagner Plan embodies such high-impact practices.”

Wagner College was among only 22 colleges and universities nationwide to be recognized for 3 or more “programs to look for.” A total of 105 institutions across the nation were recognized by the U.S. News survey for 1 or more of their high-impact programs.

“And it’s worth noting that the ‘Programs to Look For’ lists are all based on nationwide evaluations by college presidents, provosts and deans of admission,” observed Angelo Araimo, Wagner’s vice president for enrollment and planning. “The ‘Up-and-Comers’ list and Wagner’s regional ranking compare the school only with other northeastern institutions.”

Wagner College appeared for the fourth year in a row on the U.S. News “Up-and-Comers” list of schools in its category — institutions identified by top administrators at other northern regional universities as those that “have recently made the most promising and innovative changes in the areas of academics, faculty, student life, campus, or facilities,” according to the magazine. “The colleges and universities [appearing on the list] were cited most often by college presidents, provosts and admissions deans who were asked to identify up to 10 up-and-coming schools in their U.S. News ranking category.” Wagner College has appeared on the “Up-and-Comers” list ever since U.S. News first published it in 2009.